1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a self-service checkout system, and more particularly to a wireless handheld terminal which allows for wireless assistance and maintenance for a self-service checkout system.
2. Background of the Related Art
Self-service has benefited consumers and retailers alike. Such systems have been widely adopted for purchasing gasoline at self-service service stations and are now becoming more widely available in retail stores.
Purchasing consumer goods using self-checkout systems, however, often involves more potential problems than self-service purchasing of gasoline. Since self-checkout systems use scanning devices for reading UPC codes, problems associated in scanning, including associated database errors regarding information on products stored in a store""s computer system, may occur which greatly reduces the effectiveness, efficiency and ease of use of retail self-checkout systems. Moreover, products which are purchased by weight (e.g., meats, cheese and salads) are also susceptible to additional errors from electronic scaling devices. A shopper""s only recourse in responding to these problems using a self-checkout system consists of either rescanning the item, waiting for supervisory personnel assistance, or abandoning the purchase of the item.
Another problem with existing self-checkout systems is the purchase of age-restricted items. In order to restrict the sales of these items to people of legal age, stores generally must setup separate pay areas or position supervisory personnel at the checkout areas, so that store personnel can properly validate a shopper""s age.
Maintenance for self-checkout systems is yet another problem. Peripheral devices including, for example, printing modules, magnetic swipe reading devices, cash acceptance devices (bill readers and coin acceptors), and cash dispensing devices may require maintenance at any time due to random errors and changes in customer volume over a period of time. Thus, maintenance may be required during a shopping transaction, resulting in shoppers having to wait until supervisory personnel can be dispatched to the self-checkout lane to perform the required maintenance.
The above listed problems all result in slower purchasing and throughput times, lowering the sales volume for store owners and requiring shoppers to spend more time waiting in line.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide status, assistance and maintenance communications wirelessly from a self-checkout system to remotely positioned supervisory personnel via a wireless terminal.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide responses to status, assistance and maintenance communications from supervisory personnel to a self-checkout apparatus from any location within a store via a wireless terminal.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide wireless terminals for performing point-of-sale functions. For example, the wireless terminal according to the present invention includes a UPC scanner so that supervisory personnel can add items or include coupons (or any other UPC coded object) to a transaction conducted on a self-checkout system apart from scanning provided with a self-checkout lane.
Accordingly, in a first aspect of the present invention, a method of performing supervisory assistance for a self-checkout system includes sending a request for supervisory assistance from a self-checkout system to a wireless terminal, receiving the request by the wireless terminal and presenting the request with the wireless terminal.
In a second aspect of the present invention, a method of performing a supervisory function for a self-checkout system includes sending a request for supervisory assistance from a self-checkout system to a portable, handheld wireless terminal, receiving the request by the wireless terminal, presenting the request via a display provided with the wireless terminal to a supervisory individual, determining whether the assistance request can be remotely performed through input by the supervisory individual, and responding to the request through input by the supervisory individual. The input results in a response being sent from the wireless terminal to the self-checkout system, wherein the response results in the supervisory assistance being performed when the assistance request is remotely performable, and the response comprises a notification that supervisory personnel are being dispatched to a location of the self-checkout system when the assistance request can not be remotely performed.
In a third aspect of the present invention, a self-checkout system includes a self-checkout lane in communication with a wireless handheld terminal, where the wireless terminal provides wireless assistance to the self-checkout lane.
This aspect may include additional features such as:
a plurality of self-checkout lanes;
a plurality of wireless terminals;
a local area networkxe2x80x94the local area network is in communication with the self-checkout lane and the wireless terminal;
a point-of-sale controller; and
a boss controller.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a wireless terminal for providing supervisory assistance to a self-checkout system over a local area network includes a controller, a RF transceiver for sending and receiving data via radio frequencies over a wireless network, a client application operating on the controller having threads of execution for sending and receiving data via the RF transceiver to the self-checkout system, and having threads of execution for monitoring information from the self-checkout system and for responding to data received, and a display.
This aspect of the present invention may also include:
input means including a touch sensitive screen, a keyboard, a number pad, a UPC scanner and the RF transceiver;
a random access memory (RAM); and
a read-only memory (ROM).
A fifth aspect of the present invention is directed to computer readable medium storing a program for performing the methods according to the above aspects.
In a sixth aspect of the present invention a set of application program interfaces (APIs) embodied on a computer-readable medium for execution on a controller of a wireless terminal in conjunction with an application program for performing supervisory functions for a self-checkout system includes a first application program interface for communicating with a self-checkout system, a second application program interface for displaying a assistance requests and status information of the self-checkout systems, and a third application program interface for responding to a the assistance requests and/or status information from the self-checkout system.
This aspect may also include a fourth application program interface allowing the wireless terminal to communicate with a second wireless terminal.
In a seventh aspect of the present invention includes a method of providing and selecting a response to a requested assistance displayed on said display in a wireless terminal for a self-checkout system having a graphical user interface including the display and a selection device includes displaying a request for supervisory assistance received from a self-checkout system, retrieving a set of possible responses to the request, and selecting one of the responses for sending to the self-checkout system.
In this aspect, the response may perform the supervisory assistance, acknowledge the request and/or a message indicating that supervisory personnel are being dispatched to a location of the self-checkout system.